Nasdaq remains optimistic on IPO listings despite AI narrative, says Edward Knight

Knight’s remarks come amid growing investor scrutiny over valuations in AI-linked stocks

Nasdaq remains optimistic about activity in the IPO market even as global markets debate the sustainability of the current artificial intelligence-led narrative, said Edward Knight, USIBC's global board of directors chair and executive vice president, Nasdaq.

Speaking to Moneycontrol on the sidelines of US-India Business Council's 50th anniversary celebration at NSE, Knight said that irrespective of how the broader market narrative around AI is evolving, Nasdaq continues to see reasons for optimism, without commenting on timelines or volumes.

Meanwhile, Knight also touched upon Nasdaq’s proposal to extend trading hours, describing it as a response to growing global investor demand, particularly from markets in Asia.

“There’s a $47 trillion market in Asia that trades when we don’t trade,” Knight said, adding that the proposal is currently under review and subject to regulatory and public consultation processes.

Knight’s remarks come amid growing investor scrutiny over valuations in AI-linked stocks and questions around whether enthusiasm in the sector could influence capital market activity, particularly technology listings.

While Knight did not elaborate on specific sectors or geographies, he underlined that cross-border business engagement and collaboration between the US and India continues to remain active, even as trade-related issues attract significant attention.

Tariffs remain one of the more visible friction points in the US-India economic relationship, Knight said, though he added that there is sustained engagement between governments and businesses on both sides to address such issues and reduce barriers to economic cooperation.

“Tariffs get a lot of attention by the press. But underneath, there’s a lot of collaboration going on between the two countries,” Knight said, pointing to long-standing work streams that have been in place for decades.

Knight also highlighted cooperation between the two countries in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, noting that collaboration between business communities would be critical as both economies define their roles in new technological areas.

Separately, Atul Keshap, President of the US-India Business Council (USIBC), said there remains strong confidence among US companies in India’s economic trajectory, pointing to recent investment announcements and high-level engagements between Indian policymakers and American corporate leaders.

“Taking some of the recent happenings as an instance, investment decisions across Us companies would be indicative of the confidence about India... I continue to be optimistic about the same,” Keshap said.

The two iterated that ambition remains high on both sides to reinforce the economic partnership.